Pre-Columbian, Mayan Territories, Honduras, Ulua Valley, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A large and impressive hand-built terracotta vessel with two turtle heads serving as handles on opposite sides, the body between the turtle heads adorned with an incised geometric pattern intended to represent the animal's body. The iconography is even more complex, as there are two registers of human or animal face glyphs wrapping the vessel, one on the neck, the other below the turtle form toward the base - perhaps representing the turtle's carapace and lower shell. A magnificent ceramic work with an elaborate decorative program and deep symbolism. Size: 7-1/4" x 6-1/2" in diameter at widest.

Turtle imagery indicated the watery surface that both bridged and separated the sky from the underworld, suggesting the vastness of the cosmos. In addition, turtles had fertility connotations and to the Mayans the turtle was thought to be an ally of the rain god Chac who also symbolized fertility. The blending of both human heads and turtle imagery on this vessel indicates an iconographic theme that suggests the emergence of life from an earth-turtle supernatural.

Provenance: Ex-private Donick Cary collection, Hollywood, CA, Emmy Award Winning Hollywood writer and Executive Producer, collected before 2000.

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#109178

Intact with expected surface wear and nice manganese deposits.